The Messiah Reimagined

Singers and orchestra are costumed and staged throughout the playing space in the spirit of a timeless passion for storytelling. The urgency of the performance stem directly from our own age of anxiety: our environmental despair and our deep need for solace in the face of the challenges of our century.

The stage consists of tables, chairs, candelabrum and an open hearth. A small audience of 400 is seated in the round, with the orchestra completing the circle. There is no conductor. Individual voices emerge from the group of singers, democratising the customary hierarchy of soloists and ensemble. The orchestra are partially memorised to engender mobility about the space, creating a porous environment where instrumentalists, singers, and audience members can share equally in the enjoyment of the music, the libretto, and the timeless pleasure of communion around an open flame.

The story of the Messiah heralds the resurrection of Christ, but the overarching narrative of this production is the growth of a communal sense of purpose from the sheer pleasure of sharing one of the world’s greatest morality tales with everyone. This is a pleasure inclusive of all belief systems, rooted in the faith that the spirituality we need today is one of authentic connection with each other.

Over the course of this trimmed two hours-version, bread is broken, soup is served, wine is drunk, hearts are bared. Orchestra becomes audience, audience become singers, and all will be given the chance to marvel at the sheer inclusive power of collaborative performance.

The story of the Messiah involves a great deal of suffering. Our message is that suffering mustn’t end in isolation, and we are not alone. This performance evangelises the vulnerability of creative expression, and meditates on some of the most important messages we need to heal ourselves. No specific dramatic action is taken to appoint a Christ figure. Instead, each singer and instrumental soloist embrace a uniquely personal approach to sharing their connections with this powerful music.

In doing so, the resonances with the life we live today will be profoundly invoked. This production uses proximity, emotional investment, and audience connection to dissolve the walls we have come to expect in concert culture, in civic life, and even in church. Our message: on the other side of any separation is likeness, resonance, truth, vulnerability, the potential for forgiveness and the likelihood of deep resonant connection. Our modern spirituality can be found in the crucible of shared experience.

Tour

The aspiration for this production is to play to two churches in each city – one of the city’s largest, and one of the city’s smallest. The audience seating, the stage tables and benches, will tour so as to be recreated in any space with an empty floor. The presence of live flame is central to the design, as is the presence of food and drink.

Two weeks rehearsal with singers; one week with the orchestra. This program is performed without a conductor. All sing the Hallelujah Chorus. The oratorio is cut with movements and solos rearranged to create a new adaptation of this iconic work.

Bill Barclay, Stage Director
Messiah edition by Malcolm Bruno